A Wandering Mind Holds Sway
(Pt. I, Before The Snow)
(Self-Portrait, 3.153 m)
Dass ich einen Großteil der Berge, des umliegenden Landes, nun weit unter mir habe, gibt mir ein Gefühl von Erhabenheit; dass ein Teil bleibt, der unbezwingbar vor mir aufragt, lehrt mich die Demut, die mich als Sterblicher zu verankern weiß.
[2023/10/05, Vom Wandern, oder Eine Nacht fern aller]
The travelling for the purpose of landscape photography has something weird about it, I think. It usually starts with the research, precisely the planning of locations. Some of them known for years, some other which might be worth a visit. A route has to be put together which is not only distance wise short as possible, but also considers seasons and their progress. Unfortunately, it never will be perfect, and you have to prioritize. Then, the day of departure coming close, I buy groceries to be mostly independent for a few weeks. Finally, I pack the car which will hopefully not only carry me once again but also will be my home between the hikes for however long the travel will last. I collect documents like drawn maps and coordinates of trail heads, the groceries, a good amount of water, clothes for different types of weather, the backpack, sleeping bag, tent, inflatable mattress, hiking boots, camping stove and dishes, various books, a notebook, navigation system, and especially the equipment of photography. This time, including two cameras of different brands with several lenses, a tripod, batteries, memory cards, chargers, and filters. Well, and then it is time to leave. From now on, it will be all about the weather, and how much effort you're willing to put into hiking, at least regarding some of the locations which will be in the distance of a few hours to the next road. So, if everything goes well and you're lucky, you will return with a decent number of photographs, and hopefully just as many good memories too.
During the first weeks of travel, it was warmer and sunnier than I had expected it to be. Autumn seemed to be behind by one or even two weeks, at least compared to my visit here two years ago. On the one hand, I missed the snowy mountains as I had seen them in late Spring, on the other hand it made it possible to hike relatively easy. Regardless of air temperature, wind can make it freezing easily, especially when waiting in exposed areas. Therefore, I considered myself overall as lucky. Then, the weather changed, and it got colder but also windy with lots of rain, or occasionally even first snow. Some mountain passes got closed very early, and the options were limited now. Furthermore, I had to prioritize anyway since I was already travelling for a while now. During the last two weeks, it often felt hopeless because the stormy weather remembered me of last autumn which really has been a mess.
Overall, I didn't achieve as much as I’d wanted, but more than I thought I would. Furthermore, I was satisfied with the progress of hikes I chose to accomplish, and the small climbs as well. I didn't rest much, and these images probably are the result of this pace. I considered myself a professional, and therefore chose results often over resting. At least, in some nights everything comes to a halt. I remember well the hours under the starry night sky, resting in my sleeping bag behind a previously built stonewall around 3,000 meters of altitude. This comes close to perfection. If you're on a hike and hardly see anyone around - you're right on point. Though, I wish I could have had that more often, and can understand if the solitude of mountains makes one addicted. One time, I stood for almost two hours in a blizzard, my hands already badly numb but still waiting for a result, maybe any result at all. I wondered why I'm doing this. The next day, I tried again, no matter that the weather hadn't changed much. As the clouds finally lifted up, I knew exactly why. I don't hope, I believe in photography. It's certainly not visible in all of these photographs, but even if it's just in one - I succeeded.
Regarding this series, there will be likely two other parts, one of them with the impressions of the first snowfalls.
